Meatballs And Gravy Recipe (Just like in IKEA) (2024)

4.86 from 7 votes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Swedish

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Inactive: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

For the meatballs

• ▢ ½ lb ground beef
• ▢ ½ lb ground turkey
• ▢ 2 slices white bread crust removed
• ▢ 1 medium onion finely minced
• ▢ 3 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon thyme
• ▢ 2 c breadcrumbs
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper

For the gravy

• ▢ 2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 c beef broth
• ▢ ½ c half and half replace with ¼ c milk + ¼ c cream
• ▢ 1 tablespoon paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon butter
• ▢ ⅓ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper

To make meatballs

• Place bread in a medium bowl and pour 1 cup of water. Allow bread to soak for 10 minutes. (Soaked bread will help to bind the meat together)

• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium skillet and over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes until translucent.

• In a large mixing bowl add ground beef and turkey, sautéed onion, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mash the soaked bread with your fingers and add in to a bowl as well. Gently mix all the ingredients with your hands or with a spoon until combined.

• Using a teaspoon to pinch off the meat, roll it into 1-inch meatballs. Wetyourhandsfrom time to time to make smoothermeatballs.

• Dredge meatballs in breadcrumbs.

• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet and over medium heat. Fry the meatballs in batches until they are browned on all sides and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a paper towel lined plate.* (Note 1)

To make gravy

• Wipe off the pan and on a medium heat melt butter. Add 2 teaspoon of flour and stir until light beige, about 2 minutes.

• Whisking continuously, start adding slightly warmed broth, 1 ladle at a time. Make sure there are no lumps of flour remaining in the broth.

• Whisk in half and half, salt, pepper, paprika and simmer on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes.

• Add meatballs to the pan and simmer for another 1-2 minutes.

• Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a side of Lingonberry jam for an ultimate Ikea experience:)

Note 1

You can also bake meatballs instead of frying. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place shaped and dredged meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until instant meat thermometer reaches 160 F and meatballs are nice and brown.

Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.